RiverDays off to a warm start

Matthew Woods mwoods@mdn.net

Updated 6:00 am, Saturday, July 18, 2015

Crowds of people braved the Friday night heat for a chance to ride the river, eat a good meal or take in some entertainment. RiverDays are in town again, and vendors set up their wares to entice browsers to endure the heat for a fun weekend in downtown Midland.

At the Henna for Morgan tent, artist Darlene Cyr was spending her evening creating intricate patterns on smiling customers, while educating people about the art form.

“I learned this from my daughter, Morgan,” Cyr said as she put the finishing touches on a piece of her henna art.

Morgan passed away eight years ago from cancer at the age of 23.

“I started doing this because my daughter wanted to go to art school and she taught me,” Cyr said. “I learned from her and I am also self-taught.”

Friend Kolene Dubendorf said the art form is great for people who aren’t into tattoos.

“There are many colors, glitter options,” she said. “We have books people can look at to see some of her work.”

“I don’t like needles,” Cyr said as she looked carefully at a design she drew on a person’s arm. Cyr offers her services for parties, weddings and other occasions.

Both ladies said not all henna is the same. Some mixtures use a chemical called PPD, which some artists say can damage the skin.

“We avoid it,” Dubendorf said. “It can cause severe burning.”

“And we list all of our ingredients,” Cyr added, finishing up her design.

Down the row of artist tents were the Tiffin family. Earl and Hannah, along with daughter Alina, were set up with their unique set of wares. The Legacy Coalition Art & Tribe offer their own handmade artwork, world percussion and soul drumming lessons, along with coaching and “all things good juju.”

“Things are going well tonight,” Hannah said. “It’s been pretty fun.” The couple said they have been in business for two years, and along with their business partner, daughter Alina, the couple were set to have a good night out in the fresh air.

“I have sold some stuff already,” Alina said.

It wouldn’t be RiverDays without a chance to explore the waters of the Tittabawassee and Chippewa rivers, and folks have a couple of options to pick from for their travels. The Grand Princess Riverboat will be making hourly cruises starting at 9 a.m. today through 1 p.m., and again from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. A fireworks cruise takes place at 10 p.m.

“We have had a lot of people already tonight,” said Melissa Kesterson of the Midland Area Community Foundation. Kesterson was selling tickets for the riverboat.

She said the ride, which takes about 45 minutes, continues to prove popular each year.

“We can hold about 120-ish people,” she said. Adults can ride for $5, and children 12 and under for $3.

“We’re busy tonight. We have had a constant stream of people,” Kesterson said.

Liz Kapla, also of MACF, said the ride will take passengers up to the Currie Bridge, and back, with a chance for a look at the Dow Dam.

“It is a really nice way to see the river,” she said.

For a more hands-on river cruise, Ike’s Mobile Kayak Rentals were on the river bank offering open and closed top kayak rentals.

“We have had about 15 paddlers so far,” co-owner Lori Isenhart said.

Isenhart, who is one half of the operation, said she and husband Glenn have enjoyed working on the river for the last three years. This is their third RiverDays event.

“It has been awesome,” she said. “We just had a family of five go out. They were very excited.”

Isenhart said the kayakers make their way to the rope swing, before returning from their 20-30 minute ride.